SUCCESS: How do you really measure it?

Quantifying success still remains to be one of the most difficult tasks that have been the center of debate among psychologists and behaviorists alike. Even famed philosophers, scientists and renowned personalities such as Buddha, Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Leonardo Da Vinci and many others have their own take on what contributes to success and how success can be measured.

In my own frame of mind, success is indeed very difficult to measure. This can be attributed to the fact that the term “success” does not have an established and precise definition. The way I see it, genuine success can only be defined and measured by the person who aims to achieve something in life – and that person is you.

Success is a matter of personal perspective – a sense of achievement and a feeling of fulfillment that only you can measure. You can never be successful when you do not see or consider yourself as one. Success is not dependent on how others see you neither because success is subjectively defined. It can only be attained once you have evaluated and qualified yourself to have possessed the attributes of what you perceived as successful.

Does possessing money, fame, good education, and good societal standing correspond to being successful? Definitely yes if those are your aims in life. Otherwise, if you are filthy rich but do not dream of such luxurious life, then you can never call your life a success story. If you are a person who dreams of becoming a billionaire but is a thousand dollars short of reaching your one-billion-target, I doubt you will feel successful and accomplished in your life even if you are swimming in your pool of millions.

So what then constitutes success? I believe that success is a cocktail of goals, hard work, and commitment. Success starts when you start setting goals. These goals are the basis of your achievement. If you do not set goals then how can you evaluate your progress? Setting goals should be coupled with hard work. Goals will remain a thin piece of abstract concept floating in your cerebrum if you do not start acting and working on it. Once you have started doing it, you should commit yourself. Working for something that you want to achieve does not give you the assurance that you will get the desired result all the time. But committing yourself to doing the necessary steps to achieve your goals gives you a higher chance of reaching them.

If you have these elements, then you might get a chance of succeeding in life. So stop comparing yourself to other people's achievements. You are the only person who can define your success. Start defining your success now by setting your own goal, working hard on it and committing yourself no matter what comes in your way.

After all, success is built by no other than you.